Joe Tsai leads Nets back to China

The last time the Brooklyn Nets went to China, their brand new owner had to spend a good deal of time playing diplomat over a random tweet by an NBA executive.

“When I bought controlling interest in the Brooklyn Nets in September, I didn’t expect my first public communication with our fans would be to comment on something as politically charged and grossly misunderstood as the way hundreds of millions of Chinese NBA fans feel about what just happened,” noted Taiwan native Joe Tsai six years ago.

Tsai, who bought the Nets from Mikhail Prokhorov in 2019, was just cutting his teeth as an NBA owner after taking over the Liberty with his wife, Clara Wu Tsai.

Brooklyn was visiting the world’s largest international market for the third time — the Nets also played in China in 2010 and 2014 — for a pair of games against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in Shanghai and Shenzhen, respectively.

But then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey used the social-media platform to voice his opinions on the Hong Kong protests taking place at that time.

“Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” Morey tweeted, sparking a firestorm of controversy that left the Nets, Lakers and the NBA in an uncomfortable position during a week that was supposed to be all about basketball.

Tsai came to prominence as a co-founder of the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba. His first foray into NBA ownership was to put out a fire that had been started by someone outside of his organization, with the league watching and listening very carefully.

“The problem is, there are certain topics that are third-rail issues in certain countries, societies and communities,” Tsai continued.

“Supporting a separatist movement in a Chinese territory is one of those third-rail issues, not only for the Chinese government, but also for all citizens in China.”

Despite Tsai’s disenchantment with Morey and the GM walking back his statements, the trip became all about politics and whether the NBA should be speaking out on such matters more publicly rather than worrying about continued business success in China.

Events and press conferences surrounding that two-game series got cancelled to quell further bad feelings. And the atmosphere in the arenas was lukewarm at best with very little cheering from the crowd.

This time around, the Nets will play the Phoenix Suns in an exhibition two-game set in Macao on Friday and Sunday with what the NBA doubtlessly hopes will be less debate on conflicting opinions.

And more focus on the further globalization of a sport that is played all over the world despite geo-political differences.

“Much of the sports industry is based on relationships and we think sports plays a unique role in building community — not just in the United States but around the world and particularly at times of heightened division,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

“Whether that division is domestically or globally there’s almost nothing else I can think of that brings together communities like sports does, and particularly a sport like basketball that is globally played, globally understood.”

The games will be played at Venetian Arena in the hub of the nation’s gambling mecca.

The Nets signed Chinese Basketball Association standout Zeng Fanbo to their preseason roster ahead of the historic series. Having played the last three seasons with Beijing Shougang, the 6-foot-11 Zeng hails from Harbin, China.

He will see playing time with Brooklyn’s class of five first-round picks as well as the rest of the Nets’ new-look roster before the team returns to North America for its exhibition finale in Toronto on Oct. 17.

Tsai and the NBA hope to make this a quieter visit, but one that will further enhance the league’s relationship in one of its most lucrative international markets.

“I was telling the players, when they go to Macao, when they step into the street, they’re going to be mobbed because the fan base in China has remained loyal,” Tsai told The New York Post this week.

“They really love the NBA,” he added. “And they really welcome the NBA to be back after, what, six years? Since we were in Shanghai six years ago.”

The league would like nothing better than for Tsai’s prediction to be confirmed.

“I think it’s very important for us to be able to bring the live game experience, including live games, to as many fans of the NBA around the world,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum told the Associated Press.

“And there’s no doubt that China has one of the largest fanbases in the world — hundreds of millions of fans in China, 300 million people play the game of basketball in China, and our mission is to inspire and connect people everywhere through the game of basketball.”

Six years into his tenure as Nets owner, Tsai knows its important for things to go smoothly this weekend.

“I think it’s just good for the world to have people come,” he told the Post. “Americans go to China, Chinese people come to America. We have a Chinese player on the team. It’s all going to be good.”

Tip-off on Friday is slated for 8 a.m. ET.

The game will air nationally on NBA TV.